Review: The Imposter + Kindle Fire Giveaway

The Imposter
By Suzanne Woods Fisher
The Bishop’s Family, #1
Revell, 2015


Summary

A heart once deceived should not be easily fooled again . . .

Katrina Stoltzfus thought she had life and love all figured out: she was going to marry John and live happily ever after. But as her plans crumble before her eyes, she struggles to face an uncertain future. When a widow asks for help starting a new business, Katrina quickly agrees. She needs time to heal her broken heart, to untangle her messy life, to find a purpose.

What she doesn’t need is attention from Andy Miller, a farmhand who arrives at the widow’s farm just when help is most needed–and who always seems to say the right thing and be in the right place, at the right time. Is Andy for real or too good to be true? She’s been deceived once before, and she isn’t planning on experiencing it again.


My thoughts

Read any book by Suzanne Woods Fisher and you will discover a gold mine, for hidden gems await you that can’t be readily seen on the surface. Rich characterization will always be found, but it goes much deeper than that. I think the best way to describe Suzanne’s writing is that she has her finger on the very heartbeat of life – joys, sorrows, dreams, heartbreaks, longings, temptation – all beautifully conveyed through the daily life of her characters.

The Imposter, book #1 in The Bishop’s Family series, brings us back to Stoney Ridge and familiar characters that we’ve come to love. Suzanne’s skilled writing flows effortless across the page and is filled with all the emotion, humor, unexpected twists, and spiritual depth that are signatures of her stories. While definitely entertaining to Amish fans, its appeal extends to any reader who enjoys a character-driven story that confronts life in a realistic way.

One strength of The Imposter is its vivid characterization, for Suzanne has a gift for describing this ensemble cast in a way that firmly implants them in your memory. Here are just a few interesting people you will meet . . .

• Hank Lapp, a wild-eyed fellow, who always seemed slightly off-kilter
• Edith Fisher, “a woman who didn’t like the wind to blow unless she told it which way to go”
• Five elderly sisters from the Sisters’ House who "had lived together for so many years that they had grown to resemble each other, wizened and bent as apostrophes and nearly telegraphic in their talk”
• Freeman Glick, who “always looked freshly ironed, with a touch of starch. Not his clothing; Freeman himself.” Freeman “would never let God interfere with the running of the church.”
• Birdy Glick, always cheerful, “liked by all but loved by none”

There are so many wonderful relational themes, particularly between Katrina and Andy, but David and Birdy would have to be my favorites. David stands out to me, personally and also as the type of spiritual leader that the world needs more of – quiet, compassionate, humble, a man who listened to others, especially his children, and could admit when he’d been wrong. Birdy was “an unadorned woman whose simplicity and good-heartedness made anyone else seem artificial and hard. He (David) felt as if he was waking up after a long winter’s nap to find that spring had arrived.”

Amidst all this are the spiritual gems that Suzanne seamlessly weaves throughout. It always amazes me how, for a people devoted to God and community, the Amish can be so gossipy and condemning of the spiritually wounded – and therein lies a message for all of us. But it’s the theme of God revealed in His creation that always touches me most in Suzanne’s stories. Particularly memorable is the scene where Birdy and David were watching a hawk in flight, “not fighting the wind, but embracing it. Recognizing it as God’s presence, engulfing us.” I’d like to end with this passage that vividly conveys God’s nature, as well as Suzanne lyrical writing . . .

        David listened, and heard more sounds that shouted of God’s goodness. The distant stream that ran along the road of Windmill Farm, flowing day and night, never taking a holiday. It echoed of God’s faithfulness.
        He saw the rock ledge where the falcon had made her nest, and he remembered how steadfast and solid God is.
        He watched the trees dance in the breeze, and thought of how flexible and adaptive God’s Spirit could be, adjusting to the needs of every generation while still remaining unchanged.
        He studied the plants, grass, and trees scattered in a chaotic fashion and remembered that in the chaos of life, God remained in the business of making beautiful landscapes out of our messes.
        His eyes lifted to the sky, the blue, blue sky, and he took a deep breath of crisp morning air, a symbol that every day is a new chance to begin again.

The Imposter goes on my “best of the best” list, and I not-so-patiently await book #2, The Quieting, which releases in April.

Highly recommended.

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Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author whose most recent novels include Anna’s Crossing and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California.

WEBSITE │ FACEBOOK │ TWITTER │ PINTEREST

Thank you to Celebrate Lit and Revell for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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GIVEAWAY

Suzanne is graciously giving away a Kindle Fire 7! Click below to enter!

The Joy of ART: "It Is Finished"

Art moves me. Art touches me in so many various ways – with laughter, memories of a long-forgotten time, peace, conviction, awe of God’s creation. I’ve recently become fascinated by artists’ depictions of Jesus, which speak to me in a way that’s hard to describe.

On this Good Friday and Resurrection weekend, I wanted to share some of that art. I was able to find the artists’ thoughts about their paintings in most cases, and I’ve included that as well. May you enjoy these as I have . . . and look for more on Sunday! (Click on each image for a larger view.)

In Remembrance of Me

by Greg Olsen

        The Savior sat in an upper room. The world was on the brink of a great struggle between good and evil, a very real battle for the souls of all men and women. Though surrounded by His beloved apostles, the weight of the world’s sorrows – past, present and future – rested on Him alone. No one else could comprehend what lay ahead in the dark shadows of Gethsemane or upon the rugged cross at Calvary.
        This Last Supper marks the beginning of the end. Judas has silently departed and is on his way to complete his treacherous bargain. The time has come for Christ to “suffer all things.” Though understandably apprehensive, and wishing, even praying, that this cup might pass from Him, He nevertheless submitted His will to that of His Father. He went on to drink the bitter cup and drain the very dregs – because He loves us!

Gethsemane

by Liz Lemon Swindle

When I started this painting, I believed that Gethsemane was about the suffering of Christ. About the agony so intense that He trembled because of pain and bled from every pore. By the time I finished, I saw that the miracle of Gethsemane went beyond the suffering. The miracle was the love that brought Him there.

No Greater Love

by Greg Olsen

Via Dolorosa

by Jon McNaughton

        This painting has over 100 figures, both good and bad, men and women that have left their footprint on Christianity. The man in the middle represents the modern Christian...a man who must decide whether or not he will stand up for his Christian beliefs. Many are shouting out to tell him what to do. He raises his hand to say, "Be silent, for I know that Jesus is the Christ!" He touches Jesus' shoulder to indicate that he gets his strength from the Master.
        Each person was chosen based on how they may have influenced Christianity for good or evil. Some were great leaders or inspiring examples of those who spoke the truth regardless of the consequences. Others were merciless in their persecution of those who professed Christianity. And some are considered to be good or evil depending on whom you talk to. In some cases it's hard to know... only God can judge.

The Crucifixion

by Nathan Greene

Jesus said, ". . .if I be lifted up from the earth, ( I ) will draw all men to Myself," ( John 12:32 ). The cross and its unique message are the focus of the gospel. At Calvary the Saviour gave His life so that all men could be free. While many creeds stress mankind striving to appease God and earn his favour, the gospels tell of God reaching down to man, experiencing suffering (even to death on a cross) to ransom His creation.

It Is Finished

by Liz Lemon Swindle

How could the disciples understand that He loved them enough to allow Himself be taken, scourged, and killed? How could they know that His death was for them? Yet with three simple words, "It is finished," the door to salvation was opened and His love was forever etched on the hearts of the believers.

Beneath Golgotha

by Jon McNaughton

        There truly is a face of a skull in the side of the hill just as I painted it. When on a research trip to the Holy Land, I visited a place believed to be where Christ was crucified. It was called Golgotha or Calvary, which when translated means...place of the skull. There is no geological formation around Jerusalem which resembles this spot. It is just North of the city a short distance from the Damascus Gate. Currently there is an Arab bus station beneath the hill. On the opposite side of the hill is the Garden Tomb.
        This painting is very different from other Crucifixion scenes I have seen. Traditionally it would be painted on top of a hill and the cross would be straight and well crafted. I endeavored in every way to paint this scene as archeologically accurate as possible. The Savior's body has just been pulled down from the cross and is being wrapped while the Roman guards gather together on the right side. The crosses are made from olive trees which would have been the common wood used for crucifixion. This image is both haunting and provocative to me as I consider the reality of my Lord's final hours in mortality.

The Roman Centurion

by Nathan Greene

Mark 15:39 tells us that the Roman centurion, who had witnessed the suffering and death of Christ at Calvary first-hand, said: "Truly this man was the Son of God!" This painting pictures the pensive officer, after the body of Jesus had been removed from the cross, bending down to pick up a discarded crown of thorns, a powerful reminder of Jesus' great sacrifice for mankind. The centurion symbolizes all of us as we contemplate the love of God and His gift of forgiveness.

Thy Will Be Done

by Del Parson

        I wanted to do this painting, but I didn’t want it to focus on the suffering aspect of the Atonement. I wanted to portray the Savior’s resolve to overcome the suffering of his ordeal. I wanted this painting to express a feeling of Christ’s love and devotion to His Father — His willingness to complete His earthly mission as He had been ordained to do from the beginning. I didn’t want a painting of a tortured, suffering man, but of the Savior of the world, nearing His victory in spite of His suffering.
        We know that the soldiers who tortured and crucified the Lord were not in charge of the situation. Priests mocked the Savior, saying that if he really was the Son of God, to come down from the cross. He was not at the mercy of the executioners. Instead, He was willingly saying, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
        I asked my son to pose for this painting. His attitude was “since it’s my dad, I’ll do it for him.” We discussed the painting and prayed together, and we really wanted to communicate what the Savior must have felt during the culmination of His earthly mission. As my son had helped, it struck me – here is my son, doing something for his father. Then I really began to think of Christ suffering not only for us, but doing it for His Father as well. I thought of the tremendous love He has for His Father. Then I thought of my feeling for my own son, as he was doing this thing for me, and was overwhelmed with the feelings that the Father must have had for his son.
        The emotion in my son’s eyes turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The eyes of my own son, willing to do this for me, show just the feeling I hoped to capture – eyes looking heavenward with willingness and determination to do His Father’s will. In the finished painting, the eyes are the only features that resemble my son.

Review: Synced

Synced
By Jennifer Kennedy Dean
New Hope, 2016


Summary

Prayer can become extraordinary when we live connected to the heart of Jesus.

Synced encourages you to emulate the way Jesus lived His life. With real-life stories of people walking closely with Jesus, finding themselves in the right place at the right time, readers are challenged to examine what staying in step with the Spirit looks like. National best-selling author and known prayer expert, Jennifer Kennedy Dean, uses the familiar passage of the Lord’s Prayer as anchor points to present the way Jesus lived His life in step with the Father through prayer.

Every moment is pregnant with purpose. Every moment is drenched in power. Prayer is no longer the means by which you attempt to get God to perform for you and becomes, instead, the means by which you connect with His heart and mind. A praying life is a life of peace and soul-rest. A praying life is lived in sync with the heart of Jesus.


My thoughts

Jennifer Kennedy Dean is a gifted teacher and communicator who is passionate about prayer, and she always makes me realize how much more I have to learn when it comes to moving from “having a prayer life” to “living a praying life.” In these days where most of us own several electronic devices, the term “synced” is very familiar. Jennifer applies this concept as she summarizes Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane:  “Father, download Your will into my heart so that it overwrites any other desire. Download courageous faith that deletes fear. Synchronize My heart’s desire to Yours.”

Synced is neither a devotional nor a “how to” book on prayer – and while it’s not deep theology, neither is it light reading. Synced is a close examination of how the life that Jesus lived flowed out of the prayer that Jesus prayed when the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. Synced seemed a little repetitive at times, yet it helped reinforce Jennifer’s teaching and I came away looking at the Lord’s Prayer in a new way. I love the reminder that “just as Jesus called on the power from heaven for the tasks of earth, we have access through Him to that same power.” Chapters deal with various themes, such as our Father, the heavens, seeking the kingdom, to will His will, day by day, and let it go.

These words from Jennifer’s Litfuse interview beautifully convey the main message of Synced:  “Jesus has invited us to live synced to His heart the same way He lived synced to the Father’s heart. We can live our earthly lives supplied by heaven’s resources. Like Jesus, we will see that God’s will finds us and we just happen to be in the right place at the right time with the right resources. Unending adventure.”

I had lots of highlights when I finished reading; here are just a few quotes that spoke to me:

“When 'our Father' is the headline, then the requests

that follow are all defined by the intimate, loving,

safe relationship of a father to His child.”

- Chapter 3, Our Father

“When we try to live tomorrow today, what God wants to do today gets lost in the haze of an unknowable tomorrow.”

- Chapter 9, Day by Day

“If we are synced to the Spirit, then His slightest whispers

and His warnings aren’t hard to hear.”

- Chapter 10, Let It Go

Jennifer writes from the heart, conveying insights gained through years of personal experience, and her conversational style makes for easy following. I expect Synced to be life changing when I begin going through it in depth and I can tell that it will be a book I refer to again and again in the years ahead.

        Jennifer Kennedy Dean is executive director of the Praying Life Foundation and a respected author and speaker. The author of numerous books, studies, and magazine articles specializing in prayer and spiritual formation, her book Heart's Cry has been named National Day of Prayer's signature book, while her book Live a Praying Life® has been called a flagship work on prayer.
        Widely recognized as an unusually gifted communicator, Jennifer speaks all over the country calling God's people to discover the difference between a prayer life and a praying life. Jennifer is the author of such books as Altar'd, Clothed with Power, Conversations with the Most High,Life Unhindered!, Power in the Blood of Christ, Power in the Name of Jesus, Secrets Jesus Shared, Set Apart, The Power of Small, and much more.
        A highly demanded speaker, her engagements include respected organizations such as the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove and Focus on the Family. She is a board member for Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, a member of America's National Prayer Committee, a member of National Professional Women Association, and national prayer director and board member for Christian Women in Media.

www.prayinglife.org │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Pinterest

Thank you to Litfuse for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Litfuse landing page:

http://litfusegroup.com/author/jdean

Review + GIVEAWAY: The Hearts We Mend

The Hearts We Mend
By Kathryn Springer
Bannister Falls Series, #2
Zondervan, 2016


Summary

Planning and Post-It notes are the epitome of Evie’s life. But when she meets Jack, her life gets more than a little complicated.

Thirteen years ago, Evie’s firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty, leaving her to raise their young son, Cody, alone. Now, Cody is marrying the love of his life, and as he packs up his belongings, the house feels as empty as Evie’s heart. But for all her planning and mad organizational skills, Evie could never have anticipated the dramatic shift her life is about to make.

Tattooed, rough-around-the-edges Jack raises quite a few eyebrows in the tight-knit community of Banister Falls. Where Evie’s life is stream-lined, Jack’s approach to living is moment-by-moment. But as Evie gets drawn into Jack’s world—a world that isn’t as safe or predictable as the one she’s worked so hard to create—he challenges her to open her eyes to the problems outside the walls of the church.

Jack doesn’t make Evie feel comfortable, but he definitely makes her feel something. Something she hasn’t felt since Max passed away—or, maybe ever. Because even though Jack isn’t anything like her late husband, he just might be everything she needs.


My thoughts

The Hearts We Mend is everything that Christian fiction should be...captivating storyline, seamless writing, richly-drawn characters with messy lives, and spiritual nuggets that the reader can take to heart. If you have a less-than-perfect family, or if you feel like you're frozen in place after a traumatic event, this book will touch you in a special way. Kathryn Springer is an exceptional writer and both books in this series are on my list of favorites. This book can stand alone, but reading The Dandelion Field first will make for a much more rewarding reading experience. (Please click on the title to see my review.)

Opening the first page and being reunited with characters who had touched me in The Dandelion Field felt like coming home. Evie was definitely a sympathetic character in that book – having been widowed when her husband died fighting a fire and raised Cody as a single mom for 12 years – yet my feelings toward her were mixed because she seemed to throw a monkey wrench in the romance between Dan and Gin. But I’m so glad Evie got her story in The Hearts We Mend because we get to see her heart – and her gradual transformation is like watching a flower slowly open up to the sun, the end result being one of true beauty.

And then there’s Jack, a wonderfully appealing lead character with hidden depths way beyond what is seen on the outside. Faith and family are of utmost importance to him, and he had walked away from a construction job that he loved, because he loved his family more and wanted to be there for his brother in the small town of Banister Falls, Wisconsin. He has a heart for serving others, as does Evie – but in oh, such different ways! This unlikely pairing makes for great storytelling – Jack with his free-spirited approach, and prim & proper Evie with her structure and communication by post-it notes. It’s so much fun to see Evie surprising herself by doing things that seem contrary to her nature.

When a beautiful story leaves you with much to reflect upon – well, that’s one of the best things about The Hearts We Mend.  The way Jack served his family and quirky fellow tenants at his ramshackle apartment building makes me think that I am way too content in my comfort zone. I always need the reminders that God brings people into our lives for a reason, and that He will always give exactly what we need at the moment we need it. But most touching to me is the fact that we are all different, and reflect our faith in different ways. I love these words of Kathryn from her Litfuse interview . . .

“Some of us are seeking. Some of us are struggling. Some of us are standing strong. No matter where we are, we need the hope that only comes from knowing there is a God, that he is good and that he loves us. I may write fiction but I pray the stories I tell always reflect that truth.”

I especially loved the secondary character of Maggie, who is so passionate about putting in a community garden across the street from Jack’s apartment building. It’s also interesting how Police sergeant Ryan Tate gets a little put out at with her “do-gooder” aggressiveness and I can just see a story brewing there. I also felt for Jack’s brother, Travis, and hope we see more of him.

Highly recommended.

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Kathryn Springer is a USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child she spent many hours sitting at her mother's typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of books – which eventually turned into a desire to tell stories of her own.

Kathryn has written nineteen books with close to two million copies sold. She lives with her husband and three children in Marinette, Wisconsin.

www.kathrynspringer.com │ Facebook

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Litfuse landing page:

http://litfusegroup.com/author/KSpringer

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GIVEAWAY

To enter the drawing, please click on this link and share my Facebook post, then leave a comment here. Kathryn has written several stories in the Love Inspired line. Have you read any of her books before?

I try to promote on social media, but the best way to keep up with my reviews and occasional giveaways is to subscribe by e-mail in the top right corner (no pressure intended).

BE SURE to leave your name and your email address in a safe format - [at] and [dot] - for the drawing. E-mail required for entry. Contest ends at midnight PST on Monday, March 28. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail.

Eligibility: US residents

Review: The Jazz Files

The Jazz Files
By Fiona Veitch Smith
Poppy Denby Investigates, #1
Kregel/Lion Hudson, 2015


Summary

Introducing Poppy Denby, a young journalist in London during the Roaring Twenties, investigating crime in the highest social circles!

In 1920, twenty-two year old Poppy Denby moves from Northumberland to live with her paraplegic aunt in London. Aunt Dot, a suffragette who was injured in battles with the police in 1910, is a feisty and well-connected lady.

Poppy has always dreamed of being a journalist, and quickly lands a position as an editorial assistant at the Daily Globe. Then one of the paper's writers, Bert Isaacs, dies suddenly--and messily. Poppy and her attractive co-worker, photographer Daniel Rokeby begin to wonder if it wasn't a natural death, but murder.

After she writes a sensational exposé, The Globe's editor invites her to dig deeper. Poppy starts sifting through the dead man's files and unearths a major mystery which takes her to France--and into deadly danger.


My thoughts

The Jazz Files, a delightful historical mystery set in London during the early 1920s, simply sparkles. Fiona Veitch Smith has done a wonderful job blending characters, setting, and plot together in a way that pulls you into the story. The mystery is well-crafted and I enjoyed the historical element as well – politics, dress styles, and what the world was like for women at the time. I haven’t read a lot of fiction set during the Roaring Twenties and wasn’t sure I would even like this era, but I was hooked from the first page. I do want to point out, however, that this is Christian fiction published in England, which is not as conservative as what American readers are used to.

Poppy, daughter of a Methodist minister in Northumbria, is an engaging and refreshing new character in the world of amateur detectives, and her job at The Daily Globe in London gives credence to her investigating. The title alone hints at an intriguing story, for in the newspaper world, jazz file is a descriptive term applied to “any story that has a whiff of high society scandal but can’t yet be proven.”  Powerful men in the House of Lords, police corruption, a vigilante group within the suffragette movement, and unexplained events going back seven years are woven together in this fascinating story.

Supporting characters are unusual and likeable, making me want to spend more time in Poppy’s world. She is a woman of faith and I found it interesting how the question of ethics came into play in the same way that it does today. Whenever the need for deceit and untruth arose in her investigations, Poppy wrestled with how far to go in order to achieve the greater good – and there are no easy answers, then or now.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Jazz Files and look forward to Poppy’s next case.

Recommended.

Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is a writer of books, theatre plays and screenplays. Her children’s picturebooks, the Young David series, are now published by SPCK Publishing. Her adult mystery series set in the 1920s, Poppy Denby Investigates, is published by Lion Fiction. The first book in the series, The Jazz Files, is available from September 2015.

She is a member of the British Society of Authors and the Association of Christian Writers. Fiona is also the editor of the popular writing advice website The Crafty Writer and her courses attract students from around the world. She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities.

fiona.veitchsmith.com │ www.poppydenby.com │ Facebook

Thank you to Kregel for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: To Capture Her Heart

To Capture Her Heart
By Rebecca DeMarino
The Southold Chronicles, #2
Revell, 2015


Summary

In an uncertain time, she faces a choice that will change her life forever.

It is 1653 and Heather Flower, a princess of the Montaukett tribe, is celebrating her wedding feast when a rival tribe attacks, killing the groom and kidnapping her. Though her ransom is paid by an Englishman, she is bound by her captors and left to die--until she finds herself rescued by handsome Dutch Lieutenant Dirk Van Buren.

Still tender from her loss, Heather Flower begins to heal in the home of the Hortons, English friends of her people. Torn between her affection for Dirk and her longtime friendship with Ben Horton, Heather Flower must make a difficult choice--stay true to her friend or follow her heart.

Exploring a unique slice of history, Rebecca DeMarino transports you to the wild land that would eventually become Long Island, New York.


My thoughts

Southhold, Long Island

The colonial era is my favorite period of history and Rebecca shines at breathing life into Long Island’s history during those difficult times. Also adding a lot of realism is the fact that Rebecca draws this series from her own family history, that of her ninth great-grandparents, Barnabas and Mary Horton. Barnabas and Mary were lead characters in the previous book and it was great to see how their lives and family had progressed.


The theme of God's provision is seen, characters are well developed, and I especially enjoyed a Native American heroine. A love triangle kept me guessing for the longest time, but I wished for more romantic tension between Benjamin, Heather and Dirk – and that more of Heather’s personal thoughts and feelings had been expressed. 

Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first book, A Place in His Heart. Some parts moved slowly, there were a lot of characters to keep up with and, while the historical detail was very interesting, the plot wasn’t strong. I’m still glad I read To Capture Her Heart because the historical aspect was rich, and I look forward to the next book in this series. I recommend To Capture Her Heart to all who enjoy stories set during America's colonial days.

Thank you to Revell for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Rebecca DeMarino is the author of A Place in His Heart, book one of The Southold Chronicles, a series inspired by her ninth great-grandparents, Barnabas and Mary Horton. She inherited her love of baking and gardening from her mother; a love of horses, reading, and writing from her dad; and the wanderlust gene from both parents. Rebecca lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Tom.

WEBSITE │ FACEBOOK │ TWITTER │ PINTEREST

Back in the Saddle Blog Hop

Back in the Saddle
By Ruth Logan Herne
Multnomah Books, 2016
Genre: Adult, Christian, Romance, Western
Number of pages: 320


Summary

It’s been a long time since Colt Stafford shrugged off his cowboy legacy for shiny Manhattan loafers and a promising career on Wall Street. But when stock market manipulations leave him financially strapped, the oldest son of legendary rancher Sam Stafford decides to return to the sprawling Double S ranch in Gray’s Glen, Washington. He’s broke, but not broken, and it’s time to check in with his ailing father, and get his legs back under him by climbing into the saddle again.

He doesn’t expect to come home to a stranger pointing a loaded gun at his chest— a tough yet beautiful woman that Sam hired as the house manager. Colt senses there’s more to Angelina Morales than meets the eye and he’s determined to find out what she’s hiding...and why.

Colt’s return brings new challenges. Younger brother Nick has been Sam’s right-hand man at the ranch for years and isn’t thrilled at having Colt insert himself into Double S affairs. And the ranch’s contentious relationship with the citizens of Gray’s Glen asks all the Stafford men to examine their hearts about what it truly means to be a neighbor. And as Wall Street recovers, will Colt succumb to the call of the financial district’s wealth and power—or finally the courage to stay in the saddle for good?

NOTE:  I have only heard good things about Ruth’s books and look forward to reading Back in the Saddle very much. My review will be posted in early April.

Back in the Saddle can be purchased at Amazon

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Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne loves God, her family, her country, dogs, chocolate and coffee! A country gal with a heart for the big city, Ruthy likes nothing more than to write the kind of books she loves to read, and she's even more happy that now she gets paid to do it! She's been married for a Very Long Time and she and her husband Dave live on a small farm in upstate New York where lake effect snow buries them on a regular basis in winter. But that's all right... it gives her more time to write!

GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | AMAZON | BLOG

WEBSITE | SEEKERVILLE

Q:  How did you get started as an author?  What or whom inspired you?

I think I’ve known all my life that I wanted to write books. As far back as I can remember I was a reader and a storyteller, so the urge came naturally to me. Realizing what I wanted to focus on, romance with women empowerment came as I got older and things began meshing in my head. I love stories that reach out to women and help lift them up spiritually and romantically with the joy and strength of faith and the quest to strengthen themselves to be all they can be on their own… the hunky hero is a bonus!


Q:  How many books have you written and in what genres?

I’ve written over thirty books now, with several releasing this year and next. I still PINCH MYSELF that this is real!!!!! Happy dancing! I love romance, so there’s romance in all of my books, but the longer books are more a single title romance with either stronger family issues or external conflict woven in. I can hint at these things in my Love Inspired romances, but I can delve a little more with an extra 25 thousand words. Having said that, I love my Love Inspired romances and the chance to reach readers at such a reasonable price. That means the world to me.


Q:  What does your writing process look like?

        I’m a linear writer. I don’t skip around chapters, I weave a story like you would a tapestry, from beginning to end, and then I go in and add the embroidery… which is refining, editing, revising and tweaking. I get up between 3 and 4 in the morning and work until my before school kids come for breakfast around seven… and when they’re on the bus, I clean up the kitchen and go back to writing. I try to get 2-3,000 words in every day now that I don’t have children here all day. (Until September, I worked full-time and wrote part-time. Now I’ve flipped that to writing full time and wrap around care part time)
        And I try to hop online and connect with readers via Facebook and Twitter a few times a day. I love Facebook because it allows me to talk with people and see how they’re doing!


Q:  How long does it typically take you to write a novel?

This varies on the length and how much of the story I have in my head. But I think if you gave it a three-month window, you’d be accurate. That allows me time for self-editing, too.


Q:  What projects are you currently working on?  What can you tell us about these projects?

Right now I am working on a couple of Christmas projects, a novella collection for St. Martin’s Press in NYC and a historical Christmas collection that is only being whispered about right now because contracts are not signed as yet… So we’ll chat about that next month! I’m also doing some edits on next year’s books and developing a delightful romance series that’s got a quirky little town, a Christmas baby, and three women who pledged to never lose their way… but somehow have managed to do just that. So we help them find their way back to faith, hope and … of course!... love.


Q:  What inspired the idea for Back in the Saddle? How many novels are you planning for this series?

I’ve always loved cowboys and when Waterbrook editor Shannon Marchese asked for a cowboy series, two of the books were already in my mentally planned storage container. (Some people refer to this as their “head”.) I pulled them out, dusted them off and looked at these heroes… and then the third hero…. And decided that I wanted a “Bonanza” meets “Dynasty” style story line… So there are three motherless men and we get to see how that affected each boy/man differently. Woven into the stories is a really good look at how similar events can have grossly different effects on children and their later perceptions, and how often we push ourselves to make the same mistakes our parents did… while trying desperately to prove them wrong. The FUNNEST part of all of this was creating heroines to match these guys and give them the wake-up call they needed! And all these cute kids, dogs, cows and horses, ramblin’ old cowboys and smokin’ hot young ones… This is a three-book series and contains everything you could want to make the reader smile… cry, maybe, just a little… and then sigh, happily. And that’s my recipe for a great story!


Q:  What other hobbies do you enjoy when you are not writing?

I love gardening and in upstate we only have a few months for that, so I enjoy it while I can…. And in winter I try to fix things in this old house, and when I fix one thing I usually break two others… but does that stop me??? It does not! J Mostly, though, I enjoy family. We’ve got six kids, plus my beautiful niece that I kind of stole from my sister… Five of them are married, and we have 14 grandchildren that we absolutely love. So hanging with kids comes naturally to me! I don’t know if you can call kids a hobby, but they’re a definite resource for book research!

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